"Studios" Giveaway!

No, I'm not giving away a studio!  But, I am giving away the latest Studios magazine!  I apologize for asking you two days ago to come back and then I wasn't even here yesterday to answer the door.  My day got away from me.  

So here's the skinny:  You'll have several chances to enter the giveaway and win the Summer 2011 issue of Studios Magazine:

• Reply to this post and let me know the favorite organizing solution that you use in your creative space.
• For a second entry, reply to this post and tell me where you create.
• For a third entry, blog/tweet/Facebook about this giveaway and come back to this post to share the link.

I'm not going to ask you to follow my blog, but I always appreciate followers!  The giveaway closes at midnight on May 31, 2011 and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on June 1st.  

If you aren't familiar with Studios magazine, you may have seen the Cloth, Paper, Scissors publications.  Same company - Interweave.  This magazine retails for $14.99 and is full of wonderful pictures, articles, and creative ideas.

Thanks for coming by and good luck!

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Whoo Hoo... the wait is over!

Does this clue help?

Yay me!  My studio was featured in the Studios Summer 2011 magazine under "Studio Vignettes"! 

I emailed photos last Fall to be considered for submission in Studios.  I received a reply the same day and was asked to submit fifteen photos and information about my studio by February 15th.  That deadline came so quickly and then.... I thought today would never get here!  I believe they hit the newsstands and stores today.

 

 

It was such a fun process and I have to say it is super-cool to see my creative space in Studios.  I love this magazine!  I just pour through them time and again and get so many creative ideas from what others have shared.  I hope I was able to do the same.  Thank you Studios and Lindsey Murray (Assistant Editor; Special Projects, Quilt & Paper Division at Interweave)!

A few other shots of my studio...

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for coming by!  Tomorrow I have some more exciting news... for YOU! Pin It

Teaser

I have something fun to share tomorrow! But for now, here's a little teaser...

Any wild guesses?  (Harriet - you can't post - you already know!) Pin It

Flower Power

I'm always a little late in the game, but "better late than never", right?  You've probably seen all the super cute handmade organza and satin flower brooches, pins, etc.  Well, I thought I would have a little fun making some and give them as teacher gifts.  One word - success.  Teachers liked them a lot, I am now addicted, and I have purchased lots more organza, satin, and coolio beads to make more!  (Insert evil laugh)

These are great little projects to make while watching a movie at home or on long road trips.  Note, just cut fabric or sew on the road trips.  I don't think having a lit candle in the car, precariously balanced on your lap in order to burn the petal edges is probably a wise thing.  Maybe.  Probably not.

I did wrap them up in a cute little bag with ribbon.  I like to give little post-it notes, to-do lists (blank of course - not my own!), and note cards to the teachers throughout the year also.  They can always use those!  So, the organza went well and I moved on to satin.  Not the good kind.  The synthetic, poly kind.  It burns nicely, but not in the blink of an eye!  That is key.

 

As with any craft, there are a trillion variations.  I think I'll play with combining the organza and satin, change the shapes and sizes, etc.  I would like to make some smaller ones to put on hair barettes for my youngest.  Ha - that's funny.  Can I even get her to wear it in her hair?  Silly me!

It is hard to tell in the photos, but the brown flowers were made using two different fabrics.  One was a plain brown satin and the other has a teal blue or brown cast depending on the angle.  So pretty!  Below is a flower that I made from just circles (no cut petals) and a bright fuschia satin.

 

If I am not indeed the very last person to try making these and you have not tried yet, you can go here for a great tutorial.  There are a ton of tutorials on YouTube, so browse around a little.

I cannot remember if I posted these beauties or not.  So forgive me if I have!  These felt dahlias are also addicting!  I originally saw these over at Coco Rose Diaries and just drooled.  Her dahlias are beautiful and her photography is stunning.

 

 

Right about now I should be working on dinner.  I'll be back in a few days with a teaser of my exciting news!  Thanks for coming by!

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Catching up...

* Disclaimer - this post is long and most likely boring.  Read on anyway...

The days are just zooming by!  I'm sure many of you are feeling that way as well.  This time of year is always hectic, especially with school-aged kids.  Programs, sports, holidays, meetings, prom, graduation - to name a few.  I often wonder how we scale down from so much of this.  The answer?  Not participate in so much, maybe.  But, with four kids, it doesn't take much to get this busy.  My kids aren't even involved in much separately, but add them all up... my calendar is full.  I try to say "no" when I need to and remember that it won't be long before they are all on their way to other phases of their lives.  So for now, I just keep my calendar handy.

I hope you all enjoyed Easter and Mother's Day.  Yes, I think it has been that long!  Anyway, it is raining here today and very dark.  I've just come down from a very busy week and finished up some major PTA meetings (my last year as the high school PTA prez).  So the past two days have been a whole lot of "nothin'".  Time to re-focus, re-organize, etc. for the next several weeks.  And, time to blog!  Just a few snippets of what's been going on around here:

I made this little dress from Simplicity 2432 at the last sewing retreat.  It was supposed to have a little shrug, but I didn't think she would wear it.  I added a little bling to the top and a pretty ribbon.  The bodice ended up being a little too wide for her.  I should know better than to go straight from the pattern.  But, she loved it anyway.

A good hunt!  Thanks Easter Bunny!

 

I bought a pretty fan for my studio.  The lights I have can get very warm and I cannot part with my sweet little chandelier to put in a ceiling fan.  So, best of both worlds!  Isn't the popcorn ceiling purty?

I've tried using my crock pot more, at least once a week to help quicken meals but still have something better than fast food.  The only drawback - its getting warm outside and you can't make cold crock pot meals!  A friend of mine gave me a super-crazy-good recipe for chicken tortilla soup!  Oh man, she wasn't lying to me when she said I would love it!  So much so that I took pictures of it!  There are so many recipes for this, but if you would like this one, I would be happy to share it with you.

 

I bought the "Fix It and Forget It" cookbook and decided that I MUST purchase yet another crock pot.  They obviously come in different sizes.  Who knew?

It's so cute!  And, Mother's Day rolled around and I was surprised with three bouquets of flowers!  All different and unique like my kiddos.  I love fresh flowers!  

 

 

 

 

I loved the sweet message on my kitchen chalk board.  It usually says something profound or simply "It's good to be the Queen", but this made me smile!

Next post I'll fill you in on a few of the crafts I was able to squeeze in.  I also have some very exciting news to share soon.  I hope you'll stop back by!

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